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Lectures to examine science's influence on future

Monday, January 5, 2009 3:32 PM PST

By Leila Summers

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If humans create robots to complete everyday tasks and jobs, what would people do with extra time they’d have on their hands?

How would they earn a living? Would they watch more television? Play video games? Take more walks in the park?

“Where will that lead?” asked Lower Columbia College instructor Jerry Zimmerman, organizer of an upcoming LCC lecture series called “The New Frontier: Science, Medicine and the Future.”

The weekly series will explore how changes in science, medicine and technology will affect our lives.

The nine lectures will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on consecutive Thursdays starting Jan. 8. They will take place in the Wollenberg Auditorium in the college’s new Rose Center. The lectures are free and open to the public.

Zimmerman said he selected the series theme because science, medicine and technology are “the fastest changing phenomena in our society.”

“These things are always timely,” he said.

A question/answer session will conclude each lecture.

The last lecture of the series on March 5 will summarize the others and explore ethical questions raised by each topic.

This is the second “Community Conversations” series hosted by LCC this school year. Last quarter, the series focused on key issues in November’s presidential election.

All lectures are from noon to 1 p.m. in the Wollenberg Auditorium.

Lecture Series Schedule

The New Frontier: Science, Medicine and the Future

Thursday: “Public Health and Vaccinations: A Shot in the Dark” by Courtney Shah

Jan. 15: “Technology and Education: The Wired Future, or, Brother Can You Spare a Mouse?” by Cable Green

Jan. 22: “Science Fiction Evolving into Science Fact” by Klint Hull and Louis La Pierre

Jan. 29: “Advances in Surgical Technology: The Cutting Edge” by Dane Moseson, M.D.

Feb. 5: “Pharmacology: Brave New World Revisited” by Adam Wolfer

Feb. 12: “Genetics: The Right (and Wrong) Stuff” by Robert Sandstrom, M.D.

Feb. 19: “Eugenics and the Legal System: the Underbelly of a Good Birth” by Jerry Zimmerman

Feb. 26: “Gerontology: Who Will Care for Me?” by Richard Kirkpatrick, M.D.

March 5: “Bioethics: Easy Answers, Tough Questions” by Kyle Hammon

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Snewey wrote on Jan 4, 2009 2:54 PM:

" I suggest a tenth lecture in the series: "Completely Abandoning Religion." As soon as this is accomplished in the very near future, imagine how much more time people will have at their disposal! A 'service' here, a 'service' there; a prayer here, a prayer there and religious reading from time-to-time wastes a lot of people's time. "

Atrucker wrote on Jan 4, 2009 3:55 PM:

" Bull !@#$ most of this stuff is.
We be are being lied to on such a large scale it is hard to imagine .
The government, the media, the schools, and the churches. Are all telling us what they want us to hear, not what is really going on.
Your future is controled by the world power brokers. The near future may get worse before it gets better. That is if it gets better.
Your constitional rights are going south very fast , and if we stand by and let this happen , we are in trouble. Most people fail to realize how deep of trouble we are in .
Just chase the trail of the new world order and this stuff will give you a wake up call. "

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